Italy senate passes law criminalizing illegal immigration News
Italy senate passes law criminalizing illegal immigration

[JURIST] Italy’s Senate [official website, in Italian] voted 157-124 Thursday to pass a controversial law making illegal immigration a crime [materials, in Italian], punishable by a fine of between 5,000 and 10,000 euros. The law also increases from two months to six [AKI report] the amount of time law enforcement officials may detain suspected illegal immigrants before deporting them. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi [official profile, in Italian] has supported the bill [Corriere della Sera report, in Italian] as important for promoting public safety. The Catholic church opposes [ANSA report] the law, which the church believes punishes the basic human right of migration. Human Rights Watch [advocacy website] has also opposed [news release] the measure. Italy's Chamber of Deputies [official website, in Italian] approved the bill [JURIST report] in May.

Illegal immigration is a growing problem [BBC report] in Italy, where about 36,000 illegal immigrants arrived by boat last year. In November, UN human rights experts expressed concern [JURIST report] over Italy's treatment of detained migrants and asylum seekers. While the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention [official website] said [UN press release] it was concerned about the facilities in which Italy holds irregular migrants and asylum seekers, UN experts also said Italy's criminal justice system boasts strong due process guarantees against arbitrary detentions.

THIS DAY @ LAW

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